May 31st, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Mary Anne Durkee
Just yesterday I threw out a whole garbage packet of expired can food and all the rotten vegetables and unused left over food from the refrigerator. I came back feeling extremely guilty. I had just read that according to food wastage statistics the food wastage in America nears almost 6.7 million tonnes per year! I had just contributed to that wastage. This made me even more determined to get some tips on reducing food wastage at my own home. I though I should share it with you too
Plan your menu
Planning your menu is important and it also makes the cooking easier and more organized. Once you plan your menu, all you have to do is create a list of what you need. Plan for a maximum of two days and avoid buying bulk food.
Stick to your menu
Sticking to the menu will help you stick to the list that you have made. Buy only what is in the list. On the spot purchase of food is often the reason why we buy unneeded food and end up wasting it. Ignore the offers and also your cravings. Buy loose vegetables and fruits and just the right amount of food. Of course buying your toddler a candy and sort can be exceptions, provided you are sure that its going to be eaten!
Refrigerator Rules
Often I buy all my vegetables in the beginning of the week, store them in the fridge and forget about them until the refrigerator starts reeking of rotten vegetables! Learn about storing food properly and use what you have learned. If the food that you bought last week is still in the fridge, bring them to the front and store the new batch behind. This way you won”t forget the old food.
Creative Use of Leftovers
Ok, there is an apple that has gone soft in your refrigerator. You don”t have to throw it out, make a smoothie out of it. Be more resourceful when it comes to food. Plan the next days menu with todays leftover in mind. For example all the Easter candies left at your home need not be wasted, Reuse them for other desserts.
Rotten food that has no hope can be turned into compost for your garden. Make optimum use of the food at your home.
Track your Food!
Before you plan your next menu, make an inventory of what you have at home. Try to use them in your menu for the next two days or so. Also keep track of the items that have longer shelf life and ensure that you use them in your menu. Keep track of what you have, what you are going to buy and what you don”t need.
These tips are simple and all it asks of us is a slightly organized approach. I am gonna put them to use from today and I think you should do too. Tell me how you fare after you do use these tips ok and if you guys have any more tips please feel free to share them! God knows, we need it!
About The Author
Mary-Anne is a featured member and regular contributor at ifood.tv, a global food network, featuring recipes from all over the world. Other popular recipes videos on ifood.tv include Pasta Recipes, Meatball recipes and Sweet Potato recipes
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May 31st, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Phoenix Delray
Egg free chocolate is important to those who are allergic to the proteins that are found in eggs. Basically, the bodys immune system overreacts to those proteins, and when that happens the person can suffer a potentially really serious reaction. Those who live with these allergies have to be aware of the ingredients of everything that they put in their mouths, and food labels have to be read very carefully to make sure that products are completely egg free.
Egg free chocolate is no different, and since chocolate is a favorite food of many people, the demand for the candy without egg is incredibly high. Fortunately, it is a requirement that all foods have to be labeled with all ingredients for the safety of consumers. There have also been required changes to food labels that make them easier for consumers to understand. For example, some labels have the ingredient ovoglobulin on them. Unfortunately most people do not know that the ingredient comes from egg protein. Those who are looking for egg free chocolate will be in all kinds of trouble if they eat candy with that ingredient in it.
Whenever egg protein enters the digestive system of someone with the allergy, the body switches the immune system into overdrive and it thinks that the ingredient is a dangerous invader. Tons of antibodies are created to the protein, and these are the guys that fight the invaders. They trigger the release of chemicals into the body called histamines. When a person has this happen to them in hugely excessive amounts, it can affect the respiratory system, the skin, the cardiovascular system, and the gastrointestinal tract. The reactions can happen within minutes to hours after consuming the offending foods.
Some of the symptoms that an allergy sufferer might be rashes, eczema, redness and swelling of the skin, trouble breathing and wheezing, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and shock. The shock is a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis, and if it is not treated within minutes, the person can quickly die.
Finding egg free chocolate used to be really difficult, but now that the Internet is completely accessible to the majority of people, it has become much easier. There are many user friendly websites online that cater to the nutritional needs of those with different kinds of food allergies. The websites display all important information about the foods in easy to see formats, and customers can shop right online for egg free chocolate and anything else that they may need!
About The Author
For more information on egg free chocolate, please visit our website.
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May 30th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Uchenna Ani-Okoye
Adding fruit to beers will add a new and unique twist of complexity to the beverage. Raspberry wheat for example, would add a tart flavour as peach would add the smooth sweet taste that we all associate with peaches in your brew.
If you plan to add fruit to your brew, it”s highly recommended that your fruit is fresh. The longer fruit is allowed to ripen from the time it has been picked, the greater the chance that airborne bacteria can infect your batch.
Although the fruit will most probably be boiled with the wort, the precaution above is still highly recommended. Alternately, you may decide to use fruit puree, which will offer home brewers the chance to brew with fruit without having the fear of contamination. Regardless of your style of brew, you can ordinarily add fruit to it.
The process of adding fruit is simple. Crush, chop, or break up the fruit that you are planning to use. Next, place the processed fruit into a sparging bag then let it steep in the hot wort for five to ten minutes after the boiling has been finished.
When you are transferring your brew mix to your primary fermenter, you may choose to sparge your fruit with some added water to extract every last drop of essence from the fruit. Always keep in mind that whenever you add fruit, you are adding extra sugar to your wort. This added sugar concentration will affect your original and final specific gravity whenever you measure it with a hydrometer.
Some fruits that you use are actually easier to work with than others. Raspberries for example, may leave seeds in your primary fermenter if they aren”t properly filtered. The basic object to achieve a quality fruit beer is to capture the essence from the fruit then remove all that remains before you start the primary fermentation.
Adding fruit to your microbrew will give your brew a unparalleled taste. There are many brews out there that take full advantage of fruit, many of which are exceedingly popular. Fruit can bring a very refreshing taste, especially when it is brewed the right way.
For home brewers all over the world, fruit is a nice accession to any microbrew. You can use virtually any type of fruit you can think of, which is one of the reasons why fruit brewing is so very popular. Just like wine, fruit can make any brew taste like a tropical paradise.
About The Author
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor
For further reading please check out: Microbrew Of The Month
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May 29th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Caterina Christakos
Any big city in the USA will be liberally dotted with good restaurants. The importance of going somewhere to eat and getting the optimum level of service is a major factor whoever you are and whoever you are with. If you are looking to impress a business partner, you want to take them somewhere with a bit of class. If you are on a date and want to make an impression that means it won”t be the last one, you want to take them somewhere that makes them feel valued. If you simply want to eat good food, then you owe it to yourself to find somewhere with quality.
Cities mean business. That is their very purpose. Way back in the mists of time there were no cities as we know them today, just large conurbations that had a pharmacy, an inn, and so forth. Cities became all the rage because shops sprang up, specialising in the field in which they operated, and because businesses needed to be close to one another in order to maximise the amount of time they spent “doing business” and minimise the amount of travel involved. People needed to live close to where they worked, and for convenience”s sake, cities sprang up in order to keep everything close to everything else. And because the people in these cities needed to eat, restaurants happened.
Orlando is a city with an interesting situation. Although there are several cities in the USA with bigger reputations, Orlando has got a lot of people coming in every year for more than one reason. And there are many who would churlishly suggest that one reason is all there is – one reason with two round ears on the top of its head. This would be so far wide of the mark as to be in a different time zone altogether, because Orlando is a center of high achievement. As well as the ubiquitous (and excellent, incidentally) Disneyland, there are several other reasons why people come to Orlando.
Attracting business is a major part of keeping a city going. Sure, with a passable amount of effort any city will be able to function on a basic level – but there is more to being successful than that. To really reach out and achieve more, a city needs to aim for excellence in all sectors. When visitors come in from outside the state – specifically business visitors – they need to be so impressed that they could not bear to leave without making a follow-up appointment.
Part of this strategy is to take a business visitor to a restaurant where they will be served a meal that is cooked to perfection, accompanied with great wine and music, and served by diligent, polite and warm staff in an environment conducive to having a good time. Ticking all of these boxes is not a simple task, and to achieve it takes a genuinely high-quality restaurant. The effort to take a customer (or potential customer) to such a restaurant will be that they cannot wait to come back.
About The Author
Caterina Christakos is a published author, entrepreneur and a food enthusiast. Check this out: http://www.christinis.com
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May 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By MIKE SELVON
If you are like many people, then you believe that there is a way to brew the perfect cup of coffee, although not everyone agrees on each step or process. Perhaps the way it is stored is the secret and that may include storing whole coffee beans rather than buying the beans ground and not storing the ground one near any strong odors, such as onions or garlic, as it will pick up the smell of other foods. It is also recommended that it is stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container as it should stay fresh for about 2 weeks this way.
Naturally, how you brew your regular coffee, gourmet coffee or even flavored coffees has an affect on the taste and since water represents about 98% of all of them, many suggest using cold filtered or bottled water to enhance the taste. The optimum temperature for the water that is used for brewing is between 195 and 205 degrees, so if your drink begins to have a weak taste, then you may want to make sure that the temperature gauge is working.
How you grind the beans also has an impact on the taste of your cup of coffee; if they are ground too coarsely, then this wonderful drink will more than likely come out very weak. On the other hand, if it is ground too finely, then not only does it tend to make its makers clog but it also will taste rather bitter. Generally, use 2 tablespoons of it to every 6 ounces of cold water.
Recently, there has been a debate over the way the beans of this wonderful drink are grown; organic versus regular methods. Many reasons are sited for this including that it makes growing it more “green” or more environmentally and ecologically friendly. Others claim that these organic coffees have a much better taste and there are no additives or preservatives, just a rich bold flavor.
Coffee makers accessories are another consideration when you are trying to brew a coffee mug full of the perfect brew. Those disposable paper coffee filters contain dyes, bleach and chlorine and of course this will affect the taste of the drink, so you may want to consider using a mesh or stainless steel filter in order to avoid this.
Brewing that perfect cup of coffee should be done in a clean maker of this wonderful drink and it is suggested that you run a mixture of water and vinegar through your machine approximately every 2 to 3 weeks. Be sure to follow that by running one or two cycles of pure water through to ensure that all traces of the vinegar are gone.
About The Author
Discover more about the cup of coffee from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our cheap coffee blog.
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May 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Bill Hansen
So you”ve decided to make the change to a vegetarian diet. It”s understandable that you will feel some anxiety as we are creatures of habit and resistant to change.
To make you feel at ease it”s important to point out the benefits of the decision you have taken to eventually eliminate all meat and animal products from your diet. For example, you should know that a vegetarian person has a much less chance of contracting many forms of cancer such as colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer as well as heart disease.
A study of women in Japan who follow western style, meat-based diets, showed that they are eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow the more traditional vegetarian lifestyle.
Another study concluded that if men and women regularly consume quantities of red meat they increase their risk of colon cancer by approximately 300 percent. Our digestive system is more likely to function properly by obtaining the kind of dietary fiber provided by fruits,vegetables, legumes and nuts. Diseases of the bowel occur a lot less frequently in humans following a vegetarian diet due to the increased fiber content in a vegetarian meal.
If you are someone who has had a recent health scare it is understandable that you will feel the need to change your eating habits immediately. It is a fact that if you don”t make a dramatic change all at once, you”ll have a much greater chance of long term success.
If you have a family history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure, then it”s particularly incumbent on you to revise your eating habits. Moving towards a more vegetarian diet has been shown statistically to reduce the incidence of so many of the diseases of industrialized countries. Vegetarians are statistically healthier than omnivorous persons; they”re leaner and live longer.
Vegetarians avoid fast foods at all costs. Have you ever seen an example of your blood plasma after eating a fast food hamburger? What was previously a clear liquid becomes cloudy with the fat and cholesterol that”s absorbed from eating a high-fat hamburger.
Start by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat and at the same time look to reducing the red meat you are eating on a weekly basis. Vegetables and grains should become the main part of your meal with meat as a side dish. Remember, you are making a change to last a lifetime, so make it natural and gradual with the goal of enjoying many years of healthy living.
Now it”s time for you to start your vegetarian journey by finding some recipes to begin the education process. Take your time to experiment with the different ingredients and ways you can prepare your meals. You will find them to be wholesome, delicious and enjoyable by all members of the family. Let”s hope they will realize as well, the importance and benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
About The Author
Bill Hansen is a writer and researcher on vegetarian food and recipes. To receive your instant access to information on various vegetarian food issues please visit http://www.aboutvegetarianrecipes.com
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May 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Ray Subs
Lids on jars can be some of the most difficult things to open. If you have something that cripples your hands, such as arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome, you may have difficulty opening the lid. That can be frustrating.
Then you”ll have to go and either get someone else to open it for you or place the lid and run hot water under it. Or you can use a knife and hit the side of the lid, leaving dent marks, but eventually you will be able to unscrew it without a lot of effort. Even using any of these methods, there is no guarantee that you will be able to open a jar.
There are several kinds of jars with lids that are difficult to open that include:
* Jars that contain jelly
* Jars that contain jam
* Jars that contain pickles
* Jars that contain peanut butter
Having a jar opener that can help you to easily open your jars would be a great help. Using one that can open any lid or cap can be of assistance, especially if you have arthritis. You would be in so much pain if you tried to open a jar under those conditions.
A jar opener is an asset to people who have chronic ailments with their hands. It will give you more power and ease for you to open that jar or bottle.
With a crippling condition such as arthritis, you need a jar opener that can open tops and lids without much effort at all. You would not need to have a tight grip in order to hold the jar opener.
Plus, you would need a jar opener that you can install in your kitchen without having to hammer and drill it in the wall. You should install it in a convenient place where you can reach it. Nowadays, there are many gadgets that you can install and they only use adhesive tape. The jar opener would be no different. So that also saves you from having holes in your wall or kitchen area.
The easy jar opener should be able to open jar lids or tops of different sizes. The best thing about the jar opener is that if you have a condition that cripples your hands, you can still use it. As you open the lid or the top, they will not slip out of your hand. So investing in a jar opener could be the best thing for you and your hands. Your hands will love you for it.
About The Author
Ray Subs is a public relations specialist working with RoxiesShop.com. More information about this product can be found at RoxiesShop.com
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May 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By MIKE SELVON
Everyone knows that the beverage industry is truly a money generating enterprise. As such, there are thousands of advertising companies competing to be the one to ply the manufacturers” wares.
Of course, coffee is one of these major beverages and just like bottled water, sodas and teas, they are all marketed around at least one main ingredient; caffeine. Yet often, when dealing in the non-caffeine segment of the market, a consumer may notice that there are several terms that are used to describe the drink including caffeine free, naturally decaffeinated and just plain decaffeinated.
Normally, a beverage is considered caffeine free only if it never contained caffeine from the start. Of course, this would rule out the tea leaves and coffee beans since they both have caffeine content in their unprocessed, natural form.
Actually, there is a certain amount of caffeine that is contained naturally in various coffees and teas, so if you really need your cup of coffee or tea to be non-caffeinated, then pay attention to the natural amount of caffeine that is in the product and then find out how the remainder of the caffeine is removed from a specific type or brand.
Even in this day of modern technology there is no way that any method can completely remove all caffeine content from a product. In the United States there is no “law” about removing caffeine but the standard indicates a beverage can be sold as decaffeinated if 97% of it is removed.
In Europe, they have a higher standard that indicates it can be termed decaffeinated if 99% of the caffeine is removed. There are certain things that affect the content of caffeine that are actually out of the manufacturers control and that includes the steeping times and methods of brewing, which both drastically impact the amount of caffeine that you end up drinking.
If you were to do an internet search about how the decaffeinated process work, then you might find some interesting things, such as conflicting, different, misleading or just plain confusing results. One reason for this is because of the amount of money that consumers spend on these beverages.
It is so much that manufacturers do not want to take any chances of losing that revenue. So, they do anything they can to be sure that consumers continue to purchase their products. However, if you do a little research on the different ways that are available to remove caffeine, then it may be enough to make you seriously consider your next beverage choice.
About The Author
Discover more about coffee choices from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our cheap coffee blog.
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May 26th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By MIKE SELVON
When you wake up in the morning what is one of the first things that you think about? Other than the immediate thought of not wanting to get out of bed, of course. For most people, it is the thought of idly enjoying a freshly brewed cup of their favorite coffee blend.
This thought prompts many to stroll into their kitchen and get their coffee maker going. Even better still is the machine that can be automatically programmed to produce a cup or pot of hot coffee. As such, the manufacturers of these machines really go out of their way to find ways to improve designs and capabilities.
However, with so many choices it can be tough making a decision on which one is right for you. Of course there are things to consider and keep in mind when you are shopping around and checking out the various coffee makers. While you need to think about your individual needs, if the whole family will use the appliance, then you need to consider everyone”s needs and/or desires.
For individuals, it may be best to have a small capacity machine that will help avoid wasting this wonderful drink, in which case a small glass carafe would be best. For families, a larger carafe may be better suited and having a coffee maker that includes a warming plate is perfect for those families that have different schedules so that everyone is able to enjoy a cup of this wonderful drink at their convenience.
Of course there are many styles, sizes and even colors of coffee machines available. Some will even allow you to produce a professional grade latte or espresso or any other gourmet coffee simply by pushing a button. There is a machine out there for every conceivable taste, even those that can grind the coffee beans for you and then make this wonderful drink.
Or if you prefer, you can always find a machine that has a timer and is completely programmable. What this means is that you can program the machine the night before and set the timer for whatever time you want this wonderful drink to start brewing.
So, if you like to jump in the shower first or run out to get the paper, then your drink will be ready and made just the way you want it. Also, for those who may be a little forgetful, there are even machines that shut off automatically after a set amount of time.
As with any of your appliances, the coffee maker needs to be taken care of properly to ensure many years of good coffee. Naturally, keeping it clean is the first step and one way of doing that is to run a mixture of water and vinegar through the cycle every so often and then running another cycle of plain water to remove all of the vinegar.
About The Author
Discover more about coffee maker from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our cheap coffee blog.
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May 25th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Blaine Arnot
I have always been a slightly conflicted meat lover. Do not misunderstand, I love meat. I love the flavours, the textures, the gorgeous aromas… quite frankly everything! The conflict for me arises in how meat is raised. Like any industry, increased scale begets efficiencies that create lower costs for producer and consumer alike. While this is the natural order of things, my dilemma lies in how animals are treated.
For anyone who has read the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan, they will have enough first hand accounts of factory farms and the dangers of a subsidized mono-crop cultures to last a lifetime.
So how do you reconcile the rights of individuals to reasonably priced meat with the rights of animals to live unfettered lives?
One possible answer to the question is to eat local, but eat less. Smaller producers typically charge more for a their product, so eating less of the good stuff helps offset the extra cost. Put your over-sized dinner plates away, and invest in a mid-sized plate. Something in between a salad or side plate and a full sized one. The next hurdle is to limit yourself to just one helping.
Here are a few other reasons for eating locally.
Community
A virtuous circle is potentially created when consumers buy from local producers. Building sustainable communities through sustainable food production at a grassroots level is the goal.
Food Security
Like a well diversified portfolio, putting all your eggs in one basket is a very risky strategy if the goal is financial security. The same is true with respect to food security. Having smaller, federally regulated, local growers actively producing the bulk of our food will minimize risk of large outbreaks of food contamination.
Health
There is something else in play that cannot be overlooked and that is the numerous health benefits associated with eating less meat. While the connection between eating too much red meat and heart disease is not conclusive, there is a connection. Hedging your bets by cutting back on red and processed meats, and switching to legumes, grains and white meat for your protein needs is wise choice. In general, animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs) are considered good sources of complete proteins. Complete proteins contain ample amounts of all essential amino acids. Though they”re technically considered a class of vegetables, legumes combined with rice are an excellent alternative to meat since they provide both fiber and together form a complete protein.
While I am still conflicted about eating meat, I will not be going full-veg anytime soon. I can say with confidence that eating less meat has made noticeable improvements in my overall health and well being.
About The Author
Blaine Arnot runs a cutting edge catering company in Vancouver Canada. Learn more about sustainable food production.
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